List

What is the Question?

The tasks in this feature encourage learners to become more fluent with times tables, but with a difference... All too often, we offer children a question and ask them to work out the answer. By turning this around and starting from the answer, we stimulate learners' mathematical curiosity and provide much more scope for them to explore and make connections.  

I'm Eight
problem
Favourite

I'm eight

Age
5 to 11
Challenge level
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Find a great variety of ways of asking questions which make 8.
Tables Teaser
problem
Favourite

Tables teaser

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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How will you work out which numbers have been used to create this multiplication square?
Starfish Spotting
problem

Starfish spotting

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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How many starfish could there be on the beach, and how many children, if I can see 28 arms?
Shape Times Shape
problem
Favourite

Shape times shape

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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These eleven shapes each stand for a different number. Can you use the number sentences to work out what they are?

missing multipliers
problem
Favourite

Missing multipliers

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
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What is the smallest number of answers you need to reveal in order to work out the missing headers?
Looking at Lego
problem

Looking at Lego

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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This task offers an opportunity to explore all sorts of number relationships, but particularly multiplication.

Ducking and Dividing
game

Ducking and dividing

Your vessel, the Starship Diophantus, has become damaged in deep space. Can you use your knowledge of times tables and some lightning reflexes to survive?

Mystery Matrix
problem
Favourite

Mystery matrix

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Can you fill in this table square? The numbers 2 -12 were used to generate it with just one number used twice.
Catrina's Cards
problem
Favourite

Catrina's cards

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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How would you find out how many football cards Catrina has collected?
Clapping Times
problem
Favourite

Clapping times

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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If you count from 1 to 20 and clap more loudly on the numbers in the two times table, as well as saying those numbers loudly, which numbers will be loud?
Lots of Lollies
problem
Favourite

Lots of lollies

Age
5 to 7
Challenge level
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Frances and Rishi were given a bag of lollies. They shared them out evenly and had one left over. How many lollies could there have been in the bag?

Countdown
game
Favourite

Countdown

Here is a chance to play a version of the classic Countdown Game.

Zios and Zepts
problem
Favourite

Zios and Zepts

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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On the planet Vuv there are two sorts of creatures. The Zios have 3 legs and the Zepts have 7 legs. The great planetary explorer Nico counted 52 legs. How many Zios and how many Zepts were there?

Factor Lines
problem
Favourite

Factor lines

Age
7 to 14
Challenge level
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Arrange the four number cards on the grid, according to the rules, to make a diagonal, vertical or horizontal line.
Multiples Grid
problem
Favourite

Multiples grid

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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What do the numbers shaded in blue on this hundred square have in common? What do you notice about the pink numbers? How about the shaded numbers in the other squares?

Factor-Multiple Chains
problem
Favourite

Factor-multiple chains

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Can you see how these factor-multiple chains work? Find the chain which contains the smallest possible numbers. How about the largest possible numbers?
Table patterns go wild!
problem
Favourite

Table patterns go wild!

Age
7 to 11
Challenge level
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Nearly all of us have made table patterns on hundred squares, that is 10 by 10 grids. This problem looks at the patterns on differently sized square grids.